Feeding mechanism



April 4, 1961 G. P. MOGRAW, JR

FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 30, 1957 7 2,978,199 Patented Apr. 4, i

rollers forjfeeding the web between the guides and into contact with the core to be wound thereon.

With these and other objects in view, the present in- V vention contemplates a pair of flat thin web guides slidably Ginger. McGi'aw, .Iiz, Downers drove, I ll., assign 101' to v Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of NewYork Filed Jan. 30, 1957, Scr. N6. 637,163 "9 citin (Cl. 242-512) This invention relates to apparatus for advancing material to a utiliz'ationstation,and moreparticularly to apparatus for advancing an extremity of aiweb into close proximityWith a winding device to preclude sagging of the .webwhere the web is of such thickness that'even a smallnnsupported portion will sag due to its own weight.

his an'object' of the invention to provide improved app'aratus of this character.

In the present invention, the disclosed apparatus has been designed'to feed webs of metal foiland dielectric to -capacitor winding machines, but it will be readily understood from the following description that the invention is equally applicable to other types of web windingmachines.

Electrostatic capacitors are generally formed'by winding alternate layers of metal foil and dielectric upon winding arbors or capacitor cores. In the past, suehep'er tions as inserting the core, attaching the webs to thecore, severing the webs when the winding operationis completed, and'sealing the ends of the Webs to the capacitor to prevent unwinding'have all beenhand operations. To

permit high'speed pr'oductio-nof electrostatic capacitors,

any thesniallerifsize's, problems are" encountereddueto mounted for movementtoward and away from a rotatably mounted capacitor 'core, and a pair of feed rollers for advancing a web between the guides when the guides are adjacent 'thecore. Drive means are provided for rotating the core, fofnadvancing and retracting the guides, and for'impartih'g rotation to the feed rollers to advance the web between'the guides and into contact with the core to be gripped and wound thereon.

Other objects, advantages, and novelfeatures of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detaileddescription in conjunction "with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. 'l is anelevation, partially in section, of a winding apparatus provided with two feeders embodying the principal features of the invention, one in a retracted position with a web-being drawn therethrough and the other in an advanced position feeding the end of a second web between the rotating 'core and the first web;

Fig. '2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 illustrating the manner in which the feed rollers fit into slots formedin the guides; and

Fig. 3 is a view-taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 illustrating the manner in whic'h'the slidable guides are mounted. i i

Attention now is directed to the drawings, wherein like numerals'ofreference designate like parts throughout the several 'views jand to Fig. '1 in particular wherein is disclosed, a side frame Ilhavin feeder supporting brackets 12 mounted thereon. Feeder, slides Mare slidably secured to thesupporting brackets 12 by means of trape- Zoidal projections 15 (Fig. 3) The feeder slides 14 are provided with thin fiat duck-bill extensions 16 and 17 Which are'separated by anarrow gap to provide a passage for'thewebs 19 and 20.

'The feeder slides 14 havejfeed rollers 21 pivotally mounted thereon. Clamping members 22 are pivotally mounted on the federslides 1-4 by means of pins 24 and carry second feed rollers 25 rotatably mounted on the free extremitiesthereof. Cam followers 26 are rotatably secured to the pivotedfclamping members 22 and are positioned so as to engage cam members 27, secured to the supporting brackets 12, when the feeder slides 14 are in their ,fully retracted positions to separate the feedrollers 21 and 25. Leaf springs. 28 are fastenedto the feeder wearer material arje so thin'that even a sfnall porno'n'ef the end "of the l web "projecting beyond its support will tend to'sagdu'efio-"the force of gravity. Offcours'e, if 'f However, when wind irig' niultilayer objects such" as 'capacitors, itis not possible "to feed all ofthewebs'along a vertical; line. "Conseque tly, an automatic devic for feeding the ends of webs" oia rotating cap citor'eore to be pickedup by m an zindwour'iddhereon'miist bejso e end'o he we flisj suppcrtea t'o'la" point ,the je'tati rfig corei td preclude saggin uri'tii slides 14 and normally'urge the rollers "25 into .contact with the rollers 21 within slots 29 (Figs..1 and 2) whenever the cam followers 26 are not engaged by the cam members 27.

The Windingshaft 30 is provided to rotate a capacitor core 31 and may be driven by any suitable means through belt 32 and sheave 34. The Winding shaft Stlhas a gear 35 fixed thereto'which imparts rotation to a feed'shaft 36 through a second gear 37. A feed drive roller 39 made of rubber'or other similar material is in rolling contact with the feed shaft36 and is driven thereby.

Coaxial with the winding shaft 30, but separately driven by a variable speed-.drivetnot shown), are a pair 2 of feed cams "40.;YA lobe 41 is formed on one of these cams" and a lobe 42 on the other. The variable speed drive permits'changes'to be'made in the ratio of winding shaftnspeedto feedrcam speed to adju st the capacitance of the finished product. Apair of feed cam followers. 44 ,carried by cranks 45, are in rolling contact with the 031113.59; onefollower contacting eacl i'carn. The cranks 45. are secured .tofshafts 46 which 7 are journalledin projections formed onfi the supporting: bracketsfIQ; ertain res" of ,the-. s:hafts*46 havejroc r 3 nected to the feeder slides 14 by means of cross heads 50 (Fig. 1) to convert rotary motion of the rocker arms 48 into reciprocatory motion of the feeder slides 14. Springs 49 are provided to urge the slides 14 outwardly and thus maintain the followers 44 in contact with the cams 40. I

Operation In order that a better understanding of the invention may be had, its mode of operation will now be described. A capacitor core 31 is first mounted for rotation between the end of the winding shaft 30 and a reciprocably mounted live center (not shown). The webs 19 and 20 are then inserted into the slots 51 and are fed inwardly by hand until the ends of the webs project just beyond the extremities of the duck-bills 16 and 17. Passage of the webs 19 and 20 between the feed rollers. 21 and 25 is possible because the feed rollers have been separated due to the action of the cam followers 26 and cam members 27; both of the feeder slides 14 being in their retracted positions at this time. 30 is then started in motion. I

As the winding shaft 30 begins to rotate, the lobe 41 on one of the feed cams 40 engages the feed cam follower 44 on the lower feeder assembly (Fig. 1). This causes the associated feeder slide 14 to begin moving inwardly. When the cam follower 26 rides down the inclined surface of the cam member 27, the feed rollers 21 and 25 The winding shaft grip the web 19 and pull-the web from the supply roll as I the feeder slide 14 moves into the feeding position.

When the feeder slide 14 reaches its inner position, a rubber roller 52, fixed to the shaft mounting the feed roller 21, frictionally engages the roller 39 and starts to rotate the feed rollers 21 and 25 to cause the web 19 to advance toward the capacitor core 31 from between the duck-bills 16 and 17. The capacitor core 31 is provided with a plurality of slots opening on the interior thereof. A vacuum pump (not shown) creates a partial vacuum within the capacitor core 31 in a manner more fully described in the aforementioned co-pending application. The inrush of air into the slots in the capacitor core 31 pushes the extremity of the web 19 against the capacitor core 31 and the partial vacuum holds the web 19 in this position. After the winding shaft has made a few more turns, the web 19 is securely held thereto. An overrunning clutch 54 (Figs. 2 and 3) interconnects the roller 52 and feed roller 21 to permit the feed rollers 21 and 25 to free-wheelwhenever the web 19 is being pulled by the shaft 30 at a greater linear speed than the peripheral speed of the feed rollers 21 and 25.

Continued rotation of the feed cams 40 permits the feed cam follower 44 to ride down the side of the lobe 41 and thus retract the associated. feeder slide 14. The feed rollers 21 and 25 free-wheel, as mentioned above, while the feeder slide is moving toward its retracted position. As the feeder slide reaches its retracted position, cam follower 26 engages cam member 27. to rotate the clamping member (clockwise in Fig. 1) and thus separate the feed rollers 21 and 25.

Additional rotation of the earns 40 causes thelobe 42 to engage the feed cam follower- 44 on the upper feeder assembly. The upper feederv assembly then grips the web 20 and moves into the position shown in 'Fig. 1 in exactly the same manner as that described. for the lower feeder assembly. As the extremity of the web 20 emerges from between the duck-bills16. and 17, it is inserted between the web 19 and the material already wound on the capacitor core 31. This permits the web "20 tobe picked up by the rotating core and to be wound thereon in a position underlying the material from .theweb 19. As the cam follower 44 rides down the side of. the'lobe 42, the upper feeder slide 14 retracts in exactly the same manner as that described for the lower feeder assembly. When winding capacitors inthis manner, four or more webs of dielectrieand metal foilarenormally required. However, only two rolls of capacitor material are illus- 4 trated in the drawings for purposes of simplification, inasmuch as only two webs need be shown to illustrate the principle of operation of the present invention. It is manifest that additional feeder assemblies could be added to the disclosed apparatus in order to utilize additional rolls of material.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of this invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for feeding the extremity of a thin web to a winding device comprising a pair of rotatably mounted feed rollers, means for urging said rollers into abutting relationship to grip a web therebetween, means for advancing said rollers toward a winding device, drive means for imparting rotation to said rollers to advance the web being gripped to the winding device, an overrunning clutch included in said drive means to permit the winding device to withdraw the web without tearing at a linear speed greater than the peripheral speed of the feed rollers, means for retracting said advancing means, and means for separating said rollers when the advancing means is fully retracted to release the web between said rollers.

2. An apparatus for feeding the extremity of a thin web to a winding device comprising a pair of rotatably mounted feed rollers, means urging said rollers into abutting relationship to grip a web therebetween, means for moving said rollers toward a winding device, drive means for rotating said rollers to feed the web to the winding device when the moving means reaches its advanced position, an overrunning clutch included in said drive means to permit withdrawal of the web from between the rollers by the winding device at a linear speed greater than the peripheral speed of said rollers, means for retracting the advancing means, and means for opening said rollers when the advancing means is fully retracted to release the web.

3. Apparatus for feeding material to a utilization station, said apparatus comprising means for supporting a free end portion of said material, means for advancing said supporting means toward the utilization station to bring the free end of said material to said utilization station and for retracting said supporting means to prevent interference thereof with said utilization station. one-way material feeding means carried by said supporting means, said one-way feeding means resisting movement of said material with respect to said supporting means in a direction away from said utilization station and permitting movement of said material with respect to said supporting means in a direction toward said utilization station, and means for actuating said one-way feeding means to feed said material toward'said utilization station while said supporting means is in advanced position. 4. Apparatus for feeding material to a utilization station as specified in claim 3 wherein said actuating means are in turn actuated by advancement of said supporting means to the advanced position thereof.

5. Apparatus for feeding flexible material to a material winding device, said apparatus comprising means for supporting a free end portion of said flexible material, means for advancing said supporting means toward said winding device to bring the free end of said material immediately adjacent said winding device and for retracting said supporting means to permit the winding of a substantial body of said material on said winding device without interference; by said supporting means, one-way material feeding means carried by said supporting means, said one-way feeding means resisting movement of said material with respect to said supporting means in a direction awayfrom said winding device and permitting movement of said material with respect to said supporting means in a direction toward said winding device, and

meansfor actuating said one-way feeding means to feed said material toward said winding device when said supporting means is in advanced position.

6. Apparatus for feeding flexible material as specified in claim 5 wherein said actuating means are in turn actuated by advancement of said supporting means to the advanced position thereof.

7. Apparatus for feeding flexible material as specified in claim 5 wherein said one-way material feeding means include a pair of cooperating feed rollers and an overrunning clutch through which said feed rollers are driven.

8. Apparatus for feeding flexible material as specified in claim 7 wherein said feedrollers are driven by friction rollers, one of said friction rollers being mounted on said supporting means and the other being mounted with said winding device for rotation therewith, said friction rollers being operatively engaged upon advancement of said supporting means toward said winding device.

9. Apparatus for feeding flexible material to a material winding device, said apparatus comprising means for supporting a free end portion of said flexible material, means for advancing said supporting means toward 6 said winding device to bring the free end of said material immediately adjacent said winding device and for retracting said supporting means to permit the winding of' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,940,847 Danziger a Dec. 26, 1933 1,963,381 Purdy June 19, 1934 2,163,019 Blount et a1 June 20, 1939 2,792,219 Frank et al. May 14, 1957 2,792,869

Halvorsen May 21, 1957 

